Loving yet feral DSH is losing her hair. How to get her to a Vet?

Southmauicat

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Hi,
Need advice dealing with hair loss issue with 1/3 domestic, 2/3 feral female DSH Black cat. Been feeding her for a year and a half. She is about two years old.
No evidence of Fleas or Mites, no ear mites. Skin looks normal, no rash no evidence of bugs. I cannot get her to a Vet. Her and I are bonded but she will not
allow carriers or cages or other Humans! Tried changing food in case of allergy. She's on Science Diet. I've given her Frontline. Could be contact dermatitis. God knows what she's lying in. She appears otherwise healthy and happy. Part of the answer may be just HOW to get her to vet. She comes by at night. I'm not keeping her in a cage all night and Mobile Vets have normal hours. Oh..and the Vet's want an appt. Nani's schedule is not appt. friendly. Thanks in advance. Aloha from Maui.
 

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movinintime

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Trap her -- for HER! Overnite is nothing compare to getting her asap treatment. I would not hesitate regardless of reasons to not keep her overnite. The treatment far outweigh the 1 nite aggravation she'll deal with. Hope others can help too. Best of luck! :)
 
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Southmauicat

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I'll try. Once bitten, twice shy. I tried to get her to the vet once. Made it to the front door of Vet and she got out of the cage. It was borrowed from Humane Society and was rusted. Never closed right. I'll go get another and check it first. She may be Feral but she's family.
 

fionasmom

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Of course you want to help her...I am very bonded to my ferals who are for the most part truly wild. Trapping is stressful but it is really the only solution for her. You might have to prop the door of the trap open or tie it with a piece of wire and systematically feed her in the trap, putting the food slowly beyond the foot bar. Of course, you don't have the time to do this over weeks since there is clearly an issue so the process might have to be speeded up. You probably do need a Havahart type trap...is that what they gave you before? I am glad to see that it does not appear that her skin is broken open or filled with sores and she does look very happy in your pics.
 

Whenallhellbreakslose

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I am attaching an article of the common conditions that cause fur loss in cats to this reply. As the others mentioned, she needs to be trapped and taking to the vet asap. I have trapped cats by using the Tomahawk trap and placed them in key locations with the cats favorite food placed in the back. You can cover the trap for camouflage and put drops of food at the entrance and further in the trap. A Drop trap could be used if you feel it would work better. Have it propped up and be in a place where you are hidden, but can see her and pull the string at the right time. You need to put something on top of the Drop trap to weigh it down. I have trapped some large male cats that freaked out and acted like bucking broncos. Then you can set up either your transfer cage or a Tomahawk (partial covered with a towel) and have someone gently prod her in with a stick while you keep the T.C or trap steady and lock it up as soon as she enters. Dividers are your friend, so don't hesitate to use them. I usually put a divider right behind the cat as she has entered the trap, that way I can close the trap and not get scratched. I have used dividers to section off the cat trapped under a drop cat to be as close to the entrance of the other trap and gentally nudge the cat with a stick to go into the other trap. I once trapped two cats under a drop trap, but only needed to get one of them. I used dividers to separate the cats, get one cat out, and trap the targeted cat.

I had to keep the cats overnight in their traps because their TNR apps were the next morning. You don't need a big holding space, just big enough to accomade the caged cat and that the room temp is not too hot or cold. I have seen people use rooms in their basement, an extra bathroom in the house, a empty closet, a garage or shed. The cat needs to be in a spot away from people traffic and noises and has a towel covering the trap, so they don't stress out. I have the paper in the trap at the time of trapping. I use dividers(one down the other across to be on the safe side) to change the paper, feed and take away the bowls. The cat can hiss and growl all they want but they won't be able to hurt you. Also, wear thick gloves as much as you can. There are many videos on YouTube on how to do this, if you need a visual demonstration.

Well I hope that helped. As mentioned, I am attaching an article on the conditions that cause fur loss in cats. Best of luck to you.🙂
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Southmauicat

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Mod note: Threads merged. :)

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This is a Feral cat that I feed in my backyard. She's unusual in that she comes inside and is very gentle and loving. She asks for me to open screen door to get in and out. As you can see in the photos she has a skin problem and I need to get her to a vet. I have tried changing her diet and giving her drops for fleas and parasites. When I brush her with flea comb it's clean. Long story short is she cannot be trapped. I've tried for months and bought a big cage, it's just not going to happen. She will not go anywhere near a trap. She has other sources of food and is not that desperate. If I can safely sedate her and put her in a cage I can get her to a vet. The vets will not prescribe meds without seeing her first!
Any suggestions?
Mahalo Nui from Maui Nei,
Glenn
View attachment image 1.jpg
View attachment image 2.jpg
 

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fionasmom

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Can you feed her in a carrier and eventually shut the door behind her? Use Kentucky Fried Chicken or the like....any food that will lure her no matter even if it is not good for cats as it is a one off?

There are some people who use a fishing net to trap the cat and then drop the cat and net into a carrier, cutting the net from the handle and shutting the door. I have never done that or seen it done but have some friends who have done it. I don't even know if it is a good idea to try that. You may have to consider keeping her caged over night; it is common with ferals and I have done it. Not preferrable, but one way to consider.
 
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